2026-08-03 マサチューセッツ工科大学（MIT）
A false-color electron microscope image shows the devices. Using the new scalable fabrication technique, researchers fabricated more than 1,000 devices using sub-nanometer molecular layers. Image: Courtesy of the researchers
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.mit.edu/2026/turning-molecules-into-reliable-electronic-devices-0803
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-026-02227-9
高収率分子デバイスのための自己組織化コンタクト Self-assembled contacts for high-yield molecular devices
Sarah O. Spector,Peter F. Satterthwaite,Maxwell Conte,Teddy Hsieh,Eduard O. Bobylev,Kieran Dunn,Weikun Zhu,Jinwoo Sim,Jeremiah A. Johnson & Farnaz Niroui
Nature Nanotechnology Published:03 August 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-026-02227-9
Abstract
With their atomic precision and synthetically tailorable properties, molecules offer new possibilities for emerging computing, sensing, optical and quantum technologies. However, the scalable, damage-free integration of molecules into active devices with atomic-scale control remains a critical challenge due to incompatibility with existing top-down fabrication processes. Here we introduce self-assembled contacts, a strategy in which device structures are first fabricated using standard semiconductor manufacturing processes and subsequently transformed through engineered surface interactions to form self-aligned, pristine interfaces with molecules. We validate this approach by fabricating over 1,000 electrically active metal–molecule–metal devices with yields of up to 99% and stable operation over 105 measurement cycles, even for molecular layers thinner than 1 nm. In situ Raman measurements verified the preservation of molecular integrity. Beyond individual devices, the platform supports system-level integration, which we demonstrate through vector-matrix multiplication, a fundamental operation in neuromorphic computing, implemented in a crossbar array of self-rectified molecular memory devices. Our results establish self-assembled contacts as a scalable platform for integrating molecular functionalities into devices, bridging self-assembly and top-down manufacturing.
